Game 1: ALDS – Off To A Good Start

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It was a star-studded night in the Bronx Wednesday night! Kate, Jay-Z, and Rudy Giuliani were amongst the few that were in attendance to watch the first game of the Twins vs. the Yankees. But the true stars of the game were our very own Yanks. We had Mr.Z.Z. pitching, who did a wonderful job! It was the first time in his career that he succeeded in the postseason. He only allowed 2 runs and 8 hits. Didn’t give up any walks either! We had some pretty good offense too. Guys with ribbies: Jete, Matsui, Swisher, and…are you ready? Rodriguez! He finally broke his postseason ”curse” and proved all his haters wrong. I loved it!


Minnesota+Twins+v+New+York+Yankees+Game+1+3cYvGvFxr7jl.jpgJete started the ribbie rally in the 3rd inning with a postseason Jeterian move: a 2-run home run. It was oh so clutch of him. Matsui followed suit in the 5th with another 2-run tater. Swish came through with an emotional double in the 4th, then there was Alex who came through in the 5th (before Matsui homered) and 7th, tacking on the last run of the night.

It was something we usually expect out of a regular season Yankees game, so it was awesome to see it happen during the first game of the postseason. Something that was oddly unusual was Mark Teixeira’s performance. I want to end this entry on a good note though, so let’s talk about Joba. Yes, I put ‘good’ and Joba in the same sentence! Wednesday he made it clear to the world that he belongs in the pen.

Finally, there was my favorite part of the game…not the part 610x.jpgwhere the Yankees win…although, that’s great too…but the part where that poor TBS cameraman ate grass! He was recording the part where the Yanks high five each other when he totally busted himself. It seemed as if he was walking backwards and tripped over something. I was laughing for about 5 straight minutes! I then proceeded to rewind and watch over and over. Cruel, I know, but I just couldn’t help myself. *innocent smile*

All in all, it was a bomb-a$s way to start the playoffs for the Yankees. Let’s hope they keep that momentum going!

P.S. TBS blows. =X I missed Michael Kay and the YES staff terribly.

-Goodnight all!

Get Ready for the Showdown

Yes, I totally stole that title from the Black Eyed Peas song they put on the YES Network montage they showed after the last game. lol I wanted to post a quick entry before all the playoff “festivities” began later on today. Stupid question: did anyone catch last night’s Twins and Tigers game? If you didn’t…wow. You missed one hell of a game! I’ve got to say, that Detroit+Tigers+v+Minnesota+Twins+aeax4iZVuS2l.jpgwas one of the best games I have ever seen. I got really worked up and the only games I usually get worked up for are Yankees games. It seemed as if “Twitter Nation” was rooting for the Twins for the most part. Me, I didn’t care who won. We all wanted extra innings though, at least the Yankees fans did. We sure got them too! The Twins and Tigers were almost neck-and-neck the entire time. This crazy face-off finally ended in the 12th inning with a Twins victory. I felt bad for the Tigers, but at the same time I was delighted to see the celebration the Twins had at home with their fans. It was really nice.

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                        Here’s the schedge and match-ups for the NLDS and ALDS.

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My predictions: Phillies over Rockies (booo), Cards over Dodgers, Yankees over Twins, Angels over Red Sox (worst case scenario!)

Let’s hope that last prediction is wrong! ;]

I’m sure ready to face the Twins tomorrow! I’m so excited for the playoffs, that I’m going to try and watch all the games (meaning Rockies, Phillies, Cards, etc). We’ll see how that goes. I’ll continue blogging throughout the postseason for all my readers =] Thanks guys!

-Peace Out!
 

End of the Regular Season

I need to make an apology to my readers…I lied. I promised I would give you guys two entries; one on the Red Sox sweep and another on the Royals series. Well, it seems kind of dumb to write two full entries about it now. I can tell you that we whooped up on the Red Sox (typical) and took 2 out of 3 from the Royals.

YanksCelebrate.jpgWe ended up clinching the division title at the end of the Boston series. It was their 100th win and the tying game –> 9 wins for us, 9 wins for the Sox. Ahh, The Comeback Kids. They never cease to impress me. Something I almost failed to mention (shame on me!) was that Joba did AMAZING that game. I don’t think I had ever seen him pitch that well, even in the beginning of the season! Needless to say, there was lots of bottle poppin’ that night. Even Kimmie (Keeping Up With The Jones) got in on the action…involuntarily, of course. lol There were goggles, champagne, and beers all over the clubhouse. One of my favorite moments was when the latin locos were surround Alex Rodriguez and chanting “la princesa, la princesa, la princesa!” which means “the princess.” It was hilarious. Another favorite moment of mine occured when Kimmie was interviewing A.J. and Andy. Kim asked the newcomer what he had learned from the veteran. His response? “Youre never too old to be dirty.” That sure came out of left-field. Oh, A.J. lol

Fast foward to this weekend. We lost 2 out of 3 games against the Tampa Bay Rays. Seems like the Yanks had gone into a deep slumber up until the 6th inning yesterday and boyyy did they wake UP! Many of the boys contributed alg_yankees_alex-rodriguez.jpgthat inning, but no more than our wonderful Alex Rodriguez. He has certainly risen from the ashes this year. He brought in a record setting 7 runs with a 3-run homer and a granny! Alex also helped set a new franchise record of 244 home runs in one season. All of this was absolutely impressive, but the best part of it all had to be the slap in the face the Rays received.

In the previous series we had with the Rays, Z.Z. ended up pitching wayyy too inside to their star player, Carlos Peña, and broke 2 of his fingers. That was the end of the season for him. I don’t think Z.Z. did it on purpose, but it seems the Rays do. So this past Saturday they decided to plunk Teixeira and yesterday they walked him purposely so he wouldn’t have a chance at breaking the record for most home runs this season (he was tied at 39 with Peña). It was pretty stupid to walk Mark, because Alex was up right behind him. Poor Rays.

Alex delivered a hell of a slap in the face when he got that grand slam right then. He tried not to smile as he was rounding the bases. When he reached the dugout everyone was congratulating him; Teixeira was the last one. They hugged and laughed. It was a great moment for the Yankees and their fans alike. Alex ended the season with 30 HRs and 100 RBIs. Oh, and the Yankees won their last game of the season with a score of 10-2. Haha

-See ya in the postseason!

Uh Oh Spaghetti-o!

279176a06cba39b72c2bfd34020c30ec-getty-.jpgI realize I am super behind on the blogging and I am sorry to the three of you that actually read The Fuzz, but no need to fear! I’ve got two new entries on the way between right now and later on tonight. I am currently working on the Red Sox sweep/AL Division Champs entry and I hope I will have another sweep to write about after our last Royals game. I won’t give excuses, because there really aren’t any valid ones anyway. Just bear with me bloggers! Thanks so much ;]

-See Ya!

 

Angels in the Outfield

It was definitely a hell of a series when the Yanks played the Angels earlier this week in Anaheim! Pure insanity. It was so intense; I literally couldn’t breathe after the first two games. Not good. I mean, I get all worked up with Red Sox series (watch tonight at 7:10pm on Fox!) but this series had me WORKED UP, ya know what I’m sayin’? Alright, ima keep this one short and sweet people, so pay attention!

Monday we started the series New+York+Yankees+v+Los+Angeles+Angels+Anaheim+ZB5nAijnrQ7l.jpgwith a loss…plain and simple: LAA 5 – NYY 2. Pettite was already feeling better, so he started that night. He was definitely a sight for sore eyes!  Unfortunately, Andy gave up 3 runs in the 6 innings he pitched. Afterwards, Bruney (as always) and Albaladejo gave up a run each, giving the Angels a 3-run lead and the win. This was a very painful game to watch, although Matsui and Alex each homered to tack two runs on the board.

Tuesday had a much better outcome: NYY 6 – LAA 5. That night, the Yanks were also the first to claim a spot in the playoffs.  Gaudin was the starting pitcher; gave up 2 runs in the 4.2 innings he was on the mound. Ace Hood was brought in after Gaudin and surprisingly gave up 2 runs as well.  The real shocker was when Phil Hughes gave up a run! That was definitely not expected. On the bright side, Alex and Matsui provided an encore for those who missed their homers on Monday. Posie also joined in the fun! We were in the lead until the 8th inning, where the game became tied. Mr. Speedy Gonzalez (Brett Gardner) broke that New+York+Yankees+v+Los+Angeles+Angels+Anaheim+Q2Bv30rbDSil.jpgtie in the 9th when he hit a line-drive to CF and made it to first base. He then stole second base & Jeter walked. With men on first and third, Johnny Damon bunted and got the job done.

Wednesday was just as stressful as the first two games, but again, the Yanks came out of that one with another win: NYY 3 – LAA 2. Burnett, which many fans weren’t sure of, did very well that night and convinced us he was ready for the postseason. He gave up the only 2 runs that the Angels produced in the 5.2 innings he pitched. No homeruns this game, but the Dominican Duo© (Smiley and Melk) came up with some powerful hits for the ribbies!

-That’s all guys! Red Sox/Yanks game starting NOW!

“Let’s do it! Baseball in the Bronx.” Michael Kay

The Rookie

cervellif_g_090219_305_1fx.jpgHot, hot, hot, hot, hot! This is probably one of the many ways you’ll hear me describe Francisco Cervelli. As one of the newest additions to the New York Yankees, he’s been working really hard to make his teammates proud. He’s been a part of the team since 2008, but has really made an impact this year. Cervelli covered for Molina when he was hurt earlier in the season. He has proved to be an amazing catcher and personally, I love the way he sets up behind home plate. It was a sad moment for all when he was sent back down to the minors in June. His absence wouldn’t last long, though. He was called back up in September again when the rosters expanded for all MLB teams.

This would greatly benefit the Yanks, as they found out this past Wednesday. Lately, I find myself talking to dedicated fans who have suddenly given up on the Comeback Kids and expect them to lose if they don’t take the lead right away.

Gaudin was the starter that night and he did pretty good, but he gave up three runs. At least he wasn’t as bad as my good ol’ friend Brian. Bruney hadn’t even gotten to the mound yet and had already given up a run (*not being literal, but you get me). By the bottom of the 8th, the score was TOR 4 – NYY 2. My Twitter friends were already getting ready to shut the tv off and hit the hay or had already done so.

Then, Matsui came up to the plate and decided it wasn’t over for the Yanks. So with Alex on base, he hit the game-tying homerun. This is when I made my walk-off prediction/wish. Bottom of the 9th now and Brett’s already gotten to first base, stolen second and proceeded to third with a little help from Jete. Cervelli was up next. Just the man I was waiting for…

BAM! Where had the ball gone? Past a diving Aaron Hill and Cervlarge_running.jpgonto the grass in LF. Gardner scores. There’s the 14th walk-off win for the Yanks! The most in MLB this season. Cervelli rounded first and kept running as he was chased down by Cano, Melk, Edwar, and the rest of the gang. He looked like a little boy running from his teammates. It was one of the cutest things I had ever seen, next to the Phillies fan giving his daughter the foul ball he had  caught.

Cervelli just has this innocence about him <3 and when he was interviewed by Kim Jones afterwards, you can see how truly grateful he is to be wearing pinstripes. I love it. So after a stressful night for us fans, Gardner and Cervelli both made sure we had a sigh of relief and that I was screaming at the top of my lungs.

-’Til later on tonight bloggers!

A new meaning to “Boogie Down in the Bronx”

I thought I’d give you guys a quick recap of the last 5 games since I haven’t been blogging lately.

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**Jeter broke Lou Gehrig’s record on the 11th getting his 2,722nd hit & 2,723rd hit. (sorry for the horrible quality of the mini-schedge)

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So, I’m not even going to reiterate on the figurative a$s-whoopin’ that happened last night, but I will go over the literal a$s-whoopin’!

From alllllll the recaps I saw on Sports Center, Around The Horn, PTI, and the Yankees Pre-Game Show I can tell you that I honestly do not think that Melancon threw the pitch at Aaron Hill on purpose. Mitre? I’m not really sure. It could’ve been intentional, but maybe it wasn’t. Only he knows.

We all know Carlson was just backing his players up when he threw behind Posada. I applaud him for that. Why? That’s loyalty. His only problem was that he chose the wrong Yankee to prove his point with. Don’t you know Jorge’s a Puerto Rican!? You don’t mess with hispanics, Carlson. lol jk. Posada was clearly peeved and immediately started walking around saying “You don’t want to do that!” With bat in hand, he continued to pace around while the benches cleared and the ump gave warnings. I could’ve sworn Posie was gonna go at him with the bat. =X That definitely would have been interesting.

Everyone finally went back to the benches and Posie got himself a walk. Brett Gardner came soon after and brought him in for a run. On Jorge’s way past home plate he ended up elbowing Carlson. In my opinion, Carlson brought it upon himself because he was standing in the way, but I digress.

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That’s where it got ugly. Release the hounds! Or at least the benches…For this part of the night, I’d love to give it a hashtag as they would in “Twitterland”:

à  #UknowUfromtheBronxwhen   

The Yankees bench cleared MUCH quicker than the Blue Jays’ bench did…if it even cleared at all! So, they got down to it. Jete, in typical Derek fashion, tried to break up the fight, but the poor thing didn’t have a chance. Damon flew between the two & Teixeira came from behind to get to Carlson. Then Z.Z., Pettite, & Burnett. After that, it was hard to identify anyone! I had to rewind the recaps over and over to figure out who was who!

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The giant mob then split in two as Edwar Ramirez, that little stick of a man, dragged Barajas by his catcher’s gear. Shelley Duncan was on top of him probably trying to get some punches in. Swisher was trying to get an opposing team member off of them. Then, Cito Gaston got Edwar in a chokehold to get him to release Barajas. Ramirez turned around and while still holding Barajas with one hand started fighting Gaston off with his other hand. This was my favorite part of the fight. I couldn’t stop cracking up.

In the end, Jorge was “escorted” back to the dugout by Pettite & Sabathia. Girardi left the
mob with a black eye and a bloody ear, Carlson left with a nice shiner (compliments of Posada). Carlson, Posada, and Duncan all got 3-game suspensions, but Shelley is going to appeal.

-See ya later bloggers!

“Now batting…for the Yankees…number two…Derek Jeter”

It was definitely a day I’ll never forget. September 9th: the final game in a four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays. There was a crowd of over forty-six thousand people on their feet with cameras and cell phones ready in hand. A legend walked over from the on-deck circle over to the batter’s box at his new home. The excited fans started to get louder, but the batter probably just heard silence. It was Jeff Niemann’s job to get this last man out to move on to the next inning. Jeff deals. The first pitch is sent deep down to right field. Base hit.

The crowd, as expected, is going insane. The batter finally reaches the base and proceeds to remove his shin guard. As he stands up to hand his gear over to Mick Kelleher he lays his eyes on the roaring crowd. He continues to looks around, seeing that both teams have stood up in their dugouts. Everyone at Yankee stadium is giving this incredible man a standing ovation. Clearly uncomfortable with the attention, he makes his attempt at trying to enjoy this moment. He takes off his helmet to the crowd, then puts it back on. He’s ready to continue with the game, but the fans aren’t. He takes his helmet off again, and in a moment where everyone should’ve had their Kleenex ready, points at his family up in the box.


alg_jeterone.jpgThis was the moment Derek Jeter, our beloved Yankee captain, tied Henry Lous Gehrig’s hitting record.

It was a very emotional night for many, including myself. I am so happy for Jete & I hope he continues to be very successful!

The beginning of the game wasn’t an indication of where the game was eventually headed, though.

Joba started the night by giving away a homerun to Jason Bartlett in the first inning. He also allowed Pat Burrell to score a run in the first. YAY…*cough* -.- Well, let’s just say Joba didn’t last more than 3 innings. Before he was taken out, el Capitán made his way to the mound and exchanged some words with the young pitcher. He appeared to be really serious and apparently straightened Jobs out. We then went through 4 more pitchers (although they didn’t give up any hits/runs): Ace Hood, Albaladejo, Bruney, and Cokie.


Tampa+Bay+Rays+v+New+York+Yankees+kM0R6tHM5Azl.jpgOn the offensive side, Jeter said “ENOUGH!” by bunting in his first at-bat and ending his hitting slump. After that, he hit every time he came up to the plate. Then in his last at-bat, he got walked by Grant Balfour. That was Jete’s last chance to break the record that night. I seriously thought the Yankee fans were going to wait outside for him after the game. I was praying for his life, even though I wanted to beat up on him myself. Nick got to work late in the game. After 7 scoreless innings, he decided to unleash the Comeback Kids. Alex was already on base, so he scored. Posie came to bat right after Swisher. I guess Posie had been training to be a magician…because he sure made that ball disappear! It was a 3-run homer for the Captain’s best bud. He made it a 4-2 ballgame. Bruney and Cokie made sure it stayed that way. So in the end, we swept the Rays and Jeter tied his record.

Is everyone ready for Jete to break the record tonight!? I can’t wait ’til this rain delay is over.

-Buh bye til after the game!

 

**re-live Jeter’s tying hit all over again!: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejJ1wvJDVf4

With a game on his bat & a smile on his face

 

Fantastic game in the Bronx last night. I hope y’all got to see it! It was only game 3 of the Rays series. The question is: will it get any better than Nick Swisher’s walk-off victory tonight? We can only hope!


Chad GaudinMonday the Yanks had double duty: they played a double-header against the Rays to start off the series. Mr. Z.Z. was set to play the day game, while A.J. had the night game. Both did a splendiferous job! Sabathia ended the day with 10 Ks, while Burnett ended the night with 8. At the end of a long baseball-filled day, they came out with two wins. Game 1: (4-1) Game 2: (11-1) ouch.

I would tell you that last night’s win was just another notch on the Yankees’ belt, but it simply wasn’t.

I’ll tell you why:

-Now they’re 40 games over .500, they’re the first team to make it to 90 wins in the majors this season, and they now have 13 walk-off wins.

Those are some pretty interesting numbers. Talking about numbers, let me give you some 9-9-09 humor…as of right now, our Yankees are 9 games ahead of the Red Sox in the AL standings. I know Beebz is loving this. haha I mentioned this earlier on Twitter and a friend pointed out to me that Boston fans probably wouldn’t find this too amusing. aw damn…*cough*

Last night’s starting pitcher, Chad Gaudin, really surprised me. He had some really good stuff! I forgot which YES announcer says that a lot. I’m pretty sure its David Cone. Anyhow, he was almost, ALMOST as good as Z.Z. and A.J. were the night before. He came through with 6 Ks. Kudos Gaudin!

Swish PieIn case you guys haven’t noticed (which I’d find hard to believe if you haven’t) I’m so in love with Nick Swisher. On Monday night, I was saying how cool it would be to have a walk-off in one of the two games they were playing that day. It didn’t happen, but I was still hoping for one soon! So last night when I was on Twitter with all my fellow Yankee fans I mentioned how it would be nice to get that walk-off now with someone who had one yet…maybe even Swish!

Well, I should’ve played the lottery because about 2 minutes after I said that, Swish was slapping the crap out of a ball into RF. I leapt off the couch and started jumping up and down and screaming, ironically, as if I had actually won the lottery. Ha.

It was his second solo shot of the night; the first one was hit in the 2nd inning towards LF. Swish has hit homeruns from both sides of the plate 10 times each, tying with Mickey Mantle’s record. All he needs is two more homers from each side of the plate to break the record and make MLB history. (Please do correct me if I am wrong on this)

While we’re on the subject of Yankee greats and tying records…Jeter is 0-12 throughout this Rays series so far. The last time he got a hit was on September 6th (this past Sunday) against the Toronto Blue Jays. In fact, he had 3 hits that night.

**Jeter did indeed tie Lou Gehrig’s record in tonight’s series finale! See what happens when you don’t finish an entry before the next game? There’ll be more about Jete and his record in the following entry.

-Goodnight bloggers!

It’s double-header time!

Who’s excited!? I know I am! I’ve never seen
a double-header before. And to make things more exciting Jete
might tie his hitting record with Lou Gehrig. I sure hope
it’s in the first game. I have a speech to write during the
second one with my group for school (ah, speech class -.-) so
once again, I have to resort to TiVo. What would I do without
a dvr? Can’t wait to blog about this day! Hope everyone
enjoys it! Happy Labor Day!

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